College of Letters and Science
120T Student Activities Center
Box 951399
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1399
Naval Science – Naval ROTC
310-825-9075
Naval ROTC e-mail
In accordance with the National Defense Act of 1920 and with the concurrence of the Regents of the University of California, a unit of the Army Senior Division Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) was established on the Los Angeles campus in July 1920. Navy and Air Force units were established in 1938 and 1949 respectively.
This voluntary training in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program allows students to qualify for an officer’s commission in the Navy or Marine Corps while completing their college education. The NROTC curricula are not considered academic majors, but NROTC courses may be taken as free electives and applied toward the total course requirements of a major. For students contracted in the Naval Science Department, 26 units of naval science credit may be applied toward the requirements for the bachelor’s degree.
All three ROTC departments offer voluntary four- and three-year programs for first years and sophomores. The Army and Navy/Marine Corps also offer a two-year program for current and transfer students. All have leadership laboratories that teach leadership and management skills.
Active duty obligation following commissioning varies depending on branch of service and designated career field or occupational specialty.
NROTC scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis to U.S. citizens regardless of parents’ income. Scholarships cover tuition, a book allowance, fees, and a tax-free monetary allowance between $250 and $400 per month during the academic year. Applications for scholarships may be obtained online or by calling 800-628-7682. Visit the NROTC scholarship application website for submission deadline. Two or three-year scholarship applications may be obtained from the Naval Science Department and should be submitted no later than the end of the spring term.
The Department of Naval Science provides professional training for students leading to an active duty commission at graduation in the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps. Through the NROTC, scholarship students receive full tuition, fees, books, and subsistence pay of $250 to $400 per month. Nonscholarship students may apply to participate as members of the midshipman battalion under the NROTC College Program and, if selected for advanced standing prior to their junior year, may receive an active duty commission at graduation. Because of the rapid development of highly technical ship systems, aviation, and other military equipment, science and engineering majors are highly desirable; however, Navy/Marine Corps scholarships are currently available to students pursuing any major offered by UCLA, as long as they agree to complete basic technical requirements. In addition to UC and UCLA requirements, Navy option midshipmen must complete 30 units and Marine Corps option midshipmen 22 units of naval science courses, physical fitness tests, and summer training, each about four to six weeks long. Both Navy and Marine Corps option students must also pass a swimming test. Naval science courses are open to UCLA students who are not in the program with consent of instructor and demonstrated interest in the Navy/Marine Corps and related fields, such as engineering, navigation and naval operations, history, and management.
Students attending UCLA who meet Navy/Marine Corps requirements but who do not have an NROTC scholarship may enroll in the College Program during their freshman or sophomore year. These students have the opportunity to compete for scholarships. If they do not win a scholarship, or choose not to compete for one, they must compete for advanced standing prior to their junior year. All College Program students receive uniforms, naval science textbooks and, once selected for advanced standing, monthly subsistence pay in their junior and senior years.
Highly motivated NROTC students may request designation as Marine Corps option students and may also pursue any UCLA academic degree. The final summer training, and a requirement to be commissioned as an officer in the Marine Corps, involves intensive Marine training at Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. Marine Corps option students also participate, on a limited basis, in field training exercises during the academic year.
